Water security.
A lack of water can have severe impacts on the way we live:
Dry environments and contamination can affect many species of flora and fauna, and make it harder to rehabilitate degraded ecosystems.
There’s an increased risk of bushfires during drought - lack of water can magnify the effects of fires and the way we fight them.
Most importantly, water restrictions often place significant psychological stress on communities and can lead to loss of livestock, destruction of crops, increased soil erosion - loss of livelihoods.
Bolstering Bathurst’s water supply.
Bathurst needs a much larger supply of water to meet the expanding demand from urban, environmental and industrial uses - and to secure our cities needs during dry times.
Protecting water catchments and sustaining high quality and dependable water supplies is essential for the well-being of both the community and the environment; and necessary for productivity in business and industry.
Council needs to design and finance an improved, long-term regional water security plan.
Water security is at the heart of thriving regional communities, and we have a responsibility to not become complacent in years where water is plentiful.
Council should manage water through a range of mechanisms and consider climate cycles, water security, sustainable demand and growth, and the natural environment together.
Chifley Dam is our existing catchment of choice and should remain so.
There are opportunities to use other catchments with additional infrastructure and/or upgrade existing through the following:
stormwater harvesting
pipeline and dam wall upgrade at Winburndale Dam
regional pipeline connection to Wyangala Dam
additionally, we could explore;
pipeline from Chifley Dam to the Water Filtration Plant
effluent reuse from the Wastewater Treatment Plant
